Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1887-11-25

Well, if poor boarders have their
troubles, don't think that the board
ing house keeper sleeps on bed of
roses. There is O hopeless side to
poverty, aud a contented side, and an
expectant side. But | know of an
other. 1t is the ludicrous side. My
husband died 10 debt. There was
only the weary old way to support
myself. l opened a boarding house.
| wish ladies could go lower down to
make money. had not the strength
of mind to do differently from others
of my set, and think with US women
that is one of the great causes of our
! troubles We don't dare To face the
worlds talk, even when there is moth
ing to be ashamed of. had a hard
/ time with inefficient servants, for [
did not thrive and could not pay high
enough prices to secure good ones.
But | sent for two of my neices, as
poor as myself, aud together we did
the work and shared the profits. Let
me say to you that If you are poor
and have tolerable health, do your
own work BY that means we got on
and had order and cleanliness, and
though life is not exactly delightful to
US, it is tolerable. Gas to the ludi-
crous side of poverty. We see
enough of 1t. So many little shifts
and pretenses, though they are pathetic
enough sometimes. began by ask
lug rather high prices, and if they
were refused, let the rooms stay emp
ty too. and ] was obliged to COM
promise. Sometimes [ did not like q
mans manner or a woman's costume,
and | was stiff, which lost me consid.
cradle money. Then again, some
mems business was not to my taste,
though they were very silent and un-
obstructive themselves. l lost many
a good boarder the first year by stand
ing too much on my dignity. If a
dancing master generally teaches, de-
pertinent to his pupils, | think some
one should teach d bankers daughter,
in view of certain possibilities, how to
attract and deal pleasantly with board.
ers. If it " ere not good thing to be
merry under the worst circumstances,
should not detain you SO long with
my experiences; but if we presently
ignore the humor that is concealed in
almost every stage of poverty, we are
making ourselves more miserable than
God intended US to be-" Then she
went on to enumerate the ludicrous
incidents which her poor hoarders
treated her to day by day.
"If money troubles were every
thing" said a moody man, "you would
all be quarreling who was the worsl
off among you. You might be rich in
money, and yet broken and worth
less"
NV host whispered to me that this
man had lost his faith in woman.
Then be pointed out pale woman in
good but not snowy clothing, who
was yet more wretched than the poor
est at the feast. Her husband cared
nothing for her. She was dying of a
broken heat. Just opposite her were
man and woman whom no recital
seemed to affect Their only child
bad been sudden,y killed a few weeks
before,
My friend pointed out man at the
bottom of the table. He had an un-
easy eye and a restless conscience. l
asked what this man had done
"Set traps for the feet of others. "
said my host. ain old times, legends
say, men sold their own souls. He
has sold those Of others Auciently,
to trample on the Gross was the worst
sacrilege a man could commit; but be
has trampled beneath his feet the very
image of God. Such as be are called
men about town. l need not tell
you MORE"
Near him sat woman with fad
ed shawl, soiled and rakish bon
net, brasen face end dirty hands. No
teaching, no help. no good example,
no chance of good had ever come to
her. Aud there was woman IN a
Partisan dinner dress who sat between
two men of the homeless kind in up
per life-the lay figures of society.
She was more hopeless looking than
her neighbors. She had no work No
object save pleasure ever stirred her.
Then my host told me in low tones,
while the others were talking among
themselves, how he had gathered
these people together for this extraor-
binary Thanksgiving feast. Some he
had met by accident Others he hunt
ed up, going into dismal places to find
them. The most despairing were the
ones he chose He said:
"To some l sent formal invitations
by post. l knew it would please
them. The invitation itself, put in
language they had not known for
years, would be more of blessing
than the mere feast to which they
were hidden. The moral pleasure
given, or the self respect induced by
these invitations, is more than half
the boon of my Thanksgiving feast.
To few the mere food is much, but
then to those far sunk in the mud,
animal comfort must precede moral
impression When people are com
Portable they like to listen to good talk,
and when you have laid the founda-
tion in corporeal works of mercy you
may safely begin the superstructure
of the spiritual. Indeed. the physical
parts of their trials are really the
least, and the physics reward of a
good feast also comparatively small.
Some of them dine well every day of
their lives, aud yet have no pleasure
in it or anything else. They who do
not find more pleasure in the comfort,
the security, the absence of anxiety
tonight than in the mere abundance
of food Those who are poor do not
mind hard word and scanty fare, but
they do mind the uncertainty of their
lives, the lack of home, the want of
appreciation of themselves, the want
of sympathy and understanding, the
divided attention, the fair words and
no deeds, the barren good wishes-in
short. the whole repellent attitude of
the world"
'Do you see." he said, "that old
man at the foot of the table? He has
peace enough to bathe US all in it, pa
tience enough and Joy enough to share
n / L